NEWS IN BRIEF: A summary of developments across Los Angeles County | Community News File / Northeast Los Angeles

2 Schools to Participate in Crossing Guard Program

Two elementary schools in Northeast Los Angeles were chosen to participate in a pilot program designed to train neighborhood volunteers as crossing guards, Councilman Mike Hernandez announced Monday.

The program at Monte Vista Elementary in Highland Park and Aragon Avenue Elementary in Cypress Park will last one year, and is expected to start by mid-February. The program will be run by the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Traffic Division and the schools. Volunteers will undergo background checks and training.

Last week, a crossing guard was lauded as a hero for placing herself in harm's way after pushing a student out of the path of a oncoming car near a West Los Angeles elementary school. The guard, Carmen Garcia, suffered a broken leg and hip and a severed thumb when she was struck by the car Thursday morning. Garcia is recuperating at a local hospital, a school official said.

"In order to make this program a success, we have to get the word out to the neighborhoods that volunteers are needed," Hernandez said.